Shielding Small Business: The Role of Insurance in Cyber Defense Enhancement

Cybersecurity breaches are increasingly common among small and medium businesses (SMBs), making them ideal targets for cybercriminals. Due to limited budgets, lack of expertise, and the misconception of being “too small to be targeted,” many SMBs operate with minimal cybersecurity defenses. Unfortunately, this vulnerability is exactly what cyber attackers rely on, exploiting weak defenses through relentless attacks and sophisticated phishing campaigns. In India alone, ransomware attacks on websites surged by 261% this year, with insurance companies often left covering the damage.

This raises an important question: How are organizations that specialize in risk management being blindsided by cyber threats? The answer lies in inadequate security practices. Many businesses lack critical defenses such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), phishing-resistant employee training, reliable backups, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems. Additionally, the rapid shift of SMBs to cloud platforms introduces complex configurations that exceed the technical capacity of many small businesses.

Insurance Companies and Cyber Risk Management

Recognizing the growing risks, insurers are tightening their standards for cyber insurance policies. Companies now need to meet stricter requirements, such as multi-step authentication (e.g., verification codes via email or phone), routine security scans, and offline data backups, to qualify for coverage.

However, insurers face challenges in evaluating cyber risk. Without access to comprehensive insights from businesses' security systems, insurance companies struggle to assess the true level of exposure. This reactive, “outside-looking-in” approach slows incident response efforts, as forensic teams must first reconstruct pre-breach system conditions. At the same time, businesses without a solid cybersecurity framework increase uncertainty for insurers, forcing them to reconsider how they assess and manage cyber risk.

The integration of cybersecurity and insurance efforts creates a win-win-win scenario for all stakeholders. Insurance companies benefit from fewer claims and improved financial performance, SMBs enjoy better protection and more favorable policy terms, and end-users gain enhanced data security.

By fostering partnerships between insurers and cybersecurity providers, the industry can shift from reactive risk management to proactive prevention. This collaborative approach will not only help mitigate the growing ransomware threat but also create a more resilient digital environment for businesses and consumers alike.

To Know More, Read Full Article @ https://ai-techpark.com/role-of-insurance-in-cyber-defense-enhancement/

Related Articles -

Intersection of AI And IoT

Future of QA Engineering

Trending Category - IOT Wearables & Devices

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Cyber Threat Hunting in 2024

As cyberattacks advance in their sophistication and frequency, traditional cybersecurity defenders-the firewalls, antivirus software, even intrusion detection systems-are no longer sufficient in protecting companies. Organizations are bound to face advanced persistent threats (APTs), ransomware, as well as insider attacks in 2024 that often go undetected by automated detection tools. This makes proactive cybersecurity a dire necessity.

According to new research findings, the average amount of time taken before it is possible to detect a breach stands at more than 200 days, which is a very long window for cyberthieves to siphon sensitive data and cripple business operations.

This mainly occurs in B2B organizations operating within the finance, healthcare, and technology sectors, as these sectors are mainly characterized by sophisticated attackers seeking high-value data. However, the only solution is in cyber threat hunting-a proactive security approach aimed at detecting threats before they trigger damage.

In the guide here, we will cover the most important steps to implement a robust cyber threat hunting strategy tailored for 2024-overview of all the skills, processes, and technologies that will help in keeping your business safe.

What is Cyber Threat Hunting?

Cyber threat hunting is one of the proactive cyber security practice wherein the trained and well-equipped security analysts proactively search for hidden or undetected threats within an organization’s network.  While the traditional monitoring systems passively wait for alerts, the threat hunters search for malicious activity or a weakness that can be exploited.

Why It Matters in 2024

Today, the threat landscape for cyber defence is no longer passive but active detection. Attackers are continually evolving by attempting to evade detection with tactics like lateral movement, credential dumping, and fileless malware. Threat hunting becomes very critical in this approach since it looks beyond waiting for automated tools to flag an anomaly and instead hunts for and discovers sophisticated attacks made to evade traditional defenses.

Common Cyber Threats in 2024

Some of the prominent threats businesses will face in 2024 include the following:

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Organized cyberattacks that siphon off data for long periods of time without being detected.

Ransomware: A ransomware attack encrypts a victim’s data and demands payment in lieu of providing decryption keys.

Insider Threats: It is an employee or contractor who intends to do evil or shows malacious carelessness in doing his duty that might lead to security breaches.

Zero-Day Exploits: In this case, attacks exploit vulnerabilities that have not been patched yet.

To Know More, Read Full Article @ https://ai-techpark.com/implementing-cybersecurity-threat-hunting/

Related Articles -

Data Governance and Security Trends in 2024

Intersection of AI And IoT

Trending Category - Mental Health Diagnostics/ Meditation Apps

The Rising Threat of Enhanced Phishing: A CISO’s Survival Guide

Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) have some serious responsibilities on their shoulders as they single-handedly carry the security policies and enforcement, which are directly proportionate to an entire company’s success or downfall.

CISO’s insights and knowledge allow a company to balance out supporting its internal team while guarding the organization’s data and infrastructure.

However, in recent years, CISOs have witnessed shifts in the cybersecurity realm; especially with the technological advancements, cyberattacks such as phishing have increased by 58%, consisting of 90% data and 42% malware and ransomware attacks, affecting millions of users yearly (Cisco).

Even with the latest security protocols and software, it is only possible to fully protect against cyber threats with proper security awareness and strategies.

Therefore, to protect your company from an avoidable phishing attempt, AITech Park brings you a comprehensive guide on the different types of phishing attacks and how CISOs and their internal teams can handle them.

For a better understanding, let’s dive into the different types of new-age phishing attacks:

Email Phishing

Email phishing is the oldest and most common form of phishing, where scammers send spam emails to as many people as possible, hoping that a fraction of the targets fall for the attack. As per a recent study by Deloitte, it was witnessed that 91% of cyberattacks begin with email phishing and 32% of successful breaches involve the use of phishing techniques.

Cyberattackers often impersonate any well-known or legitimate brands and target their victim through those brands.

How to Spot Spam Emails?

Scammers often write email subject lines that are more appealing with strong emotions or create a sense of urgency. The body of the email instructs the recipient to take reasonable actions that deal with sensitive information or downloading malware. For instance, a phishing link might read, “Click here to update your profile.” When the victim clicks that malicious link, it takes them to a fake website that embezzles their login credentials.

Deepfake Scams

With rapid development in AI technology, deepfake has become more accessible to users. In recent research by Egress, 63% of cybersecurity personnel surveyed were worried about the cyber attacks introduced by deepfakes. To battle these types of attacks, CISOs can use deepfake detection tools that are available on the internet. These tools can point out synthetic images generated by AI and ML technologies, leaving unique traces that are invisible to the human eye. For instance, in recent years there have been modified videos of popular dignitaries that are common on social media platforms; these videos can be with a fun intention or sometimes defaming them through manipulated speeches or actions.

To Know More, Read Full Article @ https://ai-techpark.com/risks-of-enhanced-phishing/

Related Articles -

Top Automated Machine Learning Platforms

Deep Learning in Big Data Analytics

Trending Category - IOT Smart Cloud

Quick Guide to Endpoint Security

In today’s increasingly complex threat landscape, traditional antivirus solutions are no longer enough to protect organizations from cyber attacks. Attackers are constantly evolving their tactics, and sophisticated malware and ransomware are becoming more prevalent. As a result, businesses need to take a more proactive approach to security, and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is emerging as a critical tool in the fight against cybercrime.

What is Endpoint Detection and Response?

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) refers to a type of cybersecurity technology that focuses on detecting and responding to security threats on individual devices, such as laptops, desktops, and mobile devices. EDR tools provide advanced monitoring and analytics capabilities, which allows security teams to detect suspicious behavior on endpoints, such as malware infections, unauthorized access attempts, and data exfiltration.

The goal of EDR is to provide real-time visibility into endpoint activity and help security teams quickly identify and respond to potential security incidents. Some common features of EDR tools include:

Real-time monitoring and analysis of endpoint activity, including network traffic, system logs, and user behavior. Automated threat detection and response, which can help security teams quickly identify and respond to potential security incidents.

Advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities, can help identify patterns of behavior that may be indicative of an attack.

Integration with other security tools, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and security information and event management (SIEM) platforms.

Why is EDR important?

EDR is important because it provides a proactive approach to endpoint security that can help organizations identify and respond to threats before they cause damage. Traditional antivirus solutions are reactive, meaning they can only detect known threats and may not be effective against newer or more sophisticated attacks.

In contrast, EDR tools are designed to be more agile and flexible, allowing security teams to quickly adapt to new threats and respond accordingly. By monitoring endpoint activity in real-time, EDR tools can help detect and respond to potential security incidents before they escalate into major breaches.

EDR also helps organizations meet compliance requirements and improve their overall security posture. Many regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), require organizations to have robust security controls in place to protect sensitive data. EDR can help organizations meet these requirements by providing enhanced visibility and control over endpoint activity.

To Know More, Visit @ https://ai-techpark.com/quick-guide-to-endpoint-security/ 

Visit AITechPark For Industry Updates

seers cmp badge